The Technical Limits of Liu Shiwen's Game — Expert Q&A
The Technical Limits of Liu Shiwen’s Game
This is a brand-new, technique-focused column in a Q&A format. The mystery experts answering your questions are two former national team members (both seasoned coaches) who prefer to stay anonymous.
Q: A lot of amateur players use various pimple rubbers — single-sided, or inverted on one side and pimples on the other. How should a double-inverted player handle them?
A: What is inverted rubber’s advantage? Spin. So use spin. Inverted rubber plays along a line; pimple rubber plays at a point — understand that? It applies the same way against short pips and long pips.
Against long pips: the more spin you put on your attack, the more spin comes back. You can try this sequence — loop once, push once, then smash; done. Actually, the majority of people are just dealing with a mental block. They’re scared of long pips. Find a training partner with long pips, practice what I described: set up a specific drill — you serve no-spin, let them push it back, you loop it up, they block, you push, they shove it back, you slow-drive — you’ll see it’s very manageable. Nothing is happening too fast; it’s all just nerves.
Q: Watching Liu Shiwen from a parallel angle, her forehand motion looks different from the other women’s team players — smaller and more compact, braking before the swing reaches eye level, not as extended. Is that accurate? It’s fast, but it seems to demand more from the upper arm and torso — is she also more prone to injury?
A: That kind of stroke won’t injure the arm — but it does stress the waist and legs.
This style plays pure speed, not much power. It’s about placement — meaning prediction must be very precise, and placement must be very precise. So it suppresses opponents through speed.
Because she has done strength training, the instantaneous power concentration on contact is still decent. But the backswing distance is so short that the power is smaller than others with larger swings. Classic fast-hands speed game. She’s playing the rising or peak phase of the ball consistently.
Q: I’m around 185 cm tall — what footwork patterns work best? I often get jammed at the body.
A: At your age, watch out for leg and knee injuries. With that height, you typically use side-step and small shuffle steps.
Q: But small shuffles often leave me out of position, with some distortion in the stroke. Where should my center of gravity be?
A: The power has to come from the ball of the foot. Side-step connecting into small shuffles — you can’t rely on shuffles alone. For a single shot you may need three or four steps; your center of gravity should be over the front of the foot. If movement feels labored, your foot muscles aren’t strong enough.
For tall players, the thighs and knees take more load — wearing a patellar tendon strap is recommended.